“It’s been ten years. I think we should start a new game.”
“Deal.” I smiled.
He, on the other hand, retrained his face into a scowl.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I said. “Was there someone to verify that she was at the house when Ronnie was killed?”
“Her neighbors gave statements that they saw Ronnie leave in his truck, but that his wife wasn’t with him.”
“She could have snuck out.” I was grasping.
“I would doubt that woman could go anywhere without people noticing.”
If Bigfoot could do it . . .
“Did you find his friend, Clark? Or talk to Dave? Or Jackson?”
“Slow down. We’re getting there.”
“Okay, so we have Dave, Clark, and Jackson.” I counted on my fingers.
“Yes, and anyone else who may have been in that cove that day. Bikers, joggers, random passersby.”
“That leaves, like, everyone.” This investigation was going nowhere. It was like finding a needle in a haystack or catching a state record catfish: nearly impossible.
Luke nodded. “Investigation is a process. At least we’ve removed his wife as a suspect.”
“Even though she doesn’t have a strong alibi,” I muttered under my breath.
“Here you go.” The waitress set two plates of burgers and fries in front of us. “Need anything else?” She batted her eyelashes at Luke and he smiled back.
“Nothing else, Trish, thanks.” She turned to leave.
Trish. Ugh. I bet those eyelashes were fake, along with . . .
“I’m not dating Antonio. He’s married.” I blurted out.
“I don’t want to talk about this,” Luke said. “Eat before your burger gets cold.”
The burger in front of me was massive. Cheese and pickles and jalapeños and onion rings oozed with special sauce from beneath the toasted sesame seed bun. Challenge accepted.
No amount of milk could quench the fire that burned from my mouth all the way to my stomach, but it was worth it. Luke was right. This place had awesome food. If only Trish wouldn’t come around to flirt.
“That was delicious,” I said fighting the urge to unbutton my jeans. “They could call it the pepper-spray burger.”
“I thought you’d like it.” Luke smiled before he remembered he was supposed to be mad at me and turned his smile back into a frown.
“Oh, come on, how long are you going to be mad? I already told you, there’s nothing between Antonio and I. I was leaving when he pulled me back in last night. And I’m . . .”
Luke raised his eyebrows. “You’re what?”
“I’m, well . . . nothing, never mind. It’s just that I’m not going to fall for someone I work with, that would be stupid.”
“Okay, I’ll drop it,” Luke said. Always the forgiving one. “But I need you to do me a favor.”
“What kind of favor?” My heart sped up.
“I need you to be my eyes and ears at the reservoir, provided you can stay out of trouble . . .”
What did he mean by that? “But I’m not—”
“Not what? Intelligent and observant? Yes, you are. And I can’t be in all places at once.”
He had a point.
“I’ll do what I can, but no promises. With training and everything—”
“That’s fine. I just want you to observe anyway. If something happens, call me. I don’t want you placing yourself in harm’s way.” He smiled and my insides turned to mush. “And one more thing.”
“Yes?” I leaned forward and smiled my sweetest smile.
“Can you watch out for Shayla?”
He may as well have punched me in the stomach.
I sat back and crossed my arms over my chest. “Sure, no problem.”
“Oh, don’t be that way. Shayla is—”
“Can I get you anything else?” Trish asked, her eyelashes fluttering a million miles an hour. That was it. My patience flew out on the breeze of her flutter.
“Just the check,” I said. “Separate checks. Thanks.”
“I was going to get it,” Luke started.
“Don’t worry about it. Like you said, it wasn’t a date. We just had to discuss the case, which we did. And I should probably be getting home. I have training in the morning.” I dropped a twenty on the table and stood up.
Luke nodded, disappointment etched in his forehead.
“I’ll let you know if I hear anything. And I’ll watch out for Shayla,” I said with a forced smile before I walked away. Clearly, how he felt meant more to me than I’d thought. Not that I’d admit that to him.
5
“Get your pretty head out of bed.” My mother’s voice pierced my dreams.
I was riding a giant catfish through the air chasing Ronnie’s killer as Antonio and Luke floated behind. Weird.
“Hello? Are you awake in there?”
I looked at the time on my clock. 6:45 AM.
Nope. No way. Even Fizzy didn’t open his eyes next to me.
I pulled the comforter over my head and silently begged her to go away.
“Come on, open up. I have a surprise for you.” Her voice was eager, giddy.
“Okay, okay.” I got up and pulled a sweatshirt over my cami. “What’s up?”
I opened the door and there stood my mother with the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in her arms. My uniform was washed, pressed, and neatly folded. Maybe living at home wasn’t so bad after all.
“Mom, you’re the best!” I took the clothes from her and hugged them to my chest. Somehow, she had managed to get the stink out of the hat and the stains out of the shirt.
“I took in the pants a bit too. Didn’t want anyone to see your underwear, or lack thereof.” She mumbled the last part.
“It’s a thong, which is still considered underwear.”
“Underwear is designed to cover your under parts, a thong clearly does not cover your under parts.”
Were we really having a conversation about my under parts this early in the morning?
“Well, thank you. I really appreciate it.”
“Good. Now go upstairs and have some coffee before you leave. There are donuts too.”
Was I in the Twilight Zone? Had my parents’ home suddenly become Heaven?
“And do the dishes before you leave. They’re starting to pile up. Bye.”
And we’re back to reality.
Four donuts and two cups of coffee
